Apparatus for trimming heel top lifts



Oct. 31, 1961 J. G. WRIGHT APPARATUS FOR TRIMMING HEEL TOP LIFTS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 15, 1959 INVENTOR. JOHN G. WEIGHT 7 Mary 761M410 ATTORNEYS Oct. 31, 1961 J. G. WRIGHT APPARATUS FOR TRIMMING HEEL TOP LIFTS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 15, 1959 INVENTOR. J'DH/V 6. WRIGHT AVITORIVCFS United States Patent 3,006,005 APPARATUS FOR TRTMMEJG PEEL TOP LH TS John G. Wright, Atlanta, Ga, assignor to The Auto=oler Company, a corporation of Georgia Filed Dec. 15, 1959, Ser. No. 859,690 3 Claims. (Cl. 12--85) This invention relates to apparatus such as is disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 2,799,030, issued July 16, 1957, to C. C. Saylor, for trimming top lifts for the heels of ladies shoes, and other similar purposes, and is concerned particularly with an improved arrangement of the operating mechanism for such apparatus.

As noted in the above identified prior patent, a frequently recurring shoe repair operation is that of repairing the heels of ladies shoes, which are normally formed with a small wear cap of leather, known as a top lift, that must be replaced from time to time to keep the heel in proper repair. In replacing a top lift, a shoe repairman uses a piece of top lift material that is somewhat larger in area than the end of the heel being repaired, and the repair job consists in fashioning a top lift from this material to fit the heel properly. This is commonly done by first attaching the larger piece of top lift material to the heel, and then cutting the attached material by hand with a kinfe so that it approximates the size of the heel, after which the top lift is finished to size, burnished, and waxed or dyed, and polished, all with the aid of machine accessories. I

The apparatus disclosed by the above identified prior patent provides uniquely for accomplishing the top lift trimming operation effectively by machine, so as to eliminate the hand cutting step theretofore necessary, and the present invention improves substantially the operating association of the elements of this apparatus, as described in further detail below in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is'a vertical section of a device embodying the trimming apparatus of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a right side elevation of a device such as is shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional detail line 33 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a further sectional detail taken substantial 1y at the line 4-4 in FIG. 2; and

FIG. '5 is an additional sectional detail taken substantially at the line 55 in FIG. 4.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, the present invention is illustrated by an embodiment comprising a housing, as indicated generally by the reference numeral 10, having a top 12 and opposite sides 14; with a cover plate, indicatedgenerally by the reference numeral 16, attached at the front of the housing 10. The cover plate 16 has an outer face 18' thereof formed flat and smooth to provide a work supporting surface about an opening 20 arranged more or less centrally therein.

Within the housing 10, a bracket member 22 is attached at the top housing portion @12 so as to extend adjacent the front cover plate opening 20. This bracket member 22 carries a fixed blade element at 24 so that it is disposed in the opening 20 flush with the outer work supporting face 1 8 of the cover plate 16; has a movable cutter arm 26 pivoted thereon at 23 for cutting action with the fixed blade element 24; supports a guard and gauge element 30 to shroud the movable cutter arm 26 at its retracted position and to position work at the outer cover plate face 18 for trimming at the fixed blade 24; and has a drive or crank shaft 32 journaled thereon for cyclically pivoting the movable cutter arm 26 from its retracted position for cutting action with the fixed blade 24.

taken substantially at the The movable cutter arm 26 proper is formed intermediate its length with a lateral boss portion 34, as seen best in FIG. 3, for counterboring to provide an extended bearing at its pivot mounting axis 28 on the bracket member 22. This cutter arm pivot axis 28 is also arranged substantially flush With the outer cover plate face 18 and is spaced relatively close to the previously mentioned fixed blade element 24 towards which one end of the cutter arm 26 extends to carry a removable cutter bit 36. The fixed blade 24 is in turn edge notched at 38 (see FIGS. 2 and 4) for cutting action with the cutter bit 36, and the notch 3-8 is formed symmetrically so that the fixed blade 24 may be reversed when the cutting edge of the notch 38 becomes dull at one face; the fixed blade 24 having a plate-like form and being attached to the bracket member 22 by' bolts 40 so as to render it readily reversible. In this latter connection, it may be noted that the attaching bolts 40 are engaged within the housing 10 by elongated nut members 42 arranged adjacent ribs 22' of the bracket member 22 so as to be readily positioned and held for tightening.

The previously mentioned guard and gauge element 30, that is provided for shrouding the cutter bit 36, comprises a strip of moderately flexible material, such as spring steel, which is mounted on the bracket member 22 with an arcuate disposition in angled slots 44, that are arranged to receive the ends of the strip element and have these ends fixed in place therein by adjacent bearing screws 4:), to locate the stripzelement 30 in spaced relation over the fixed blade 24 and in spanning relation adjacent the notch 38 thereof to serve the guarding and gauging purposes previously noted above.

The other end of the cutter arm 26 extends oppositewith a sufficient angularity or offset arrangement to provide clearance for its necessary pivoting motion during operation. The cutter arm 26 has a lateral stub portion 4% at this other end for linking thereat with a connecting arm 50 which is fitted on the cutter arm stub portion 48 with an interposed bearing sleeve 52, and extends therefrom to the drive shaft 32. The .drive shaft 32 is specially formed for linking with the connecting arm 50 by having a diametrically enlarged, symmetrical, end portion 54 formed thereon beyond the journal support provided by the bracket member 22 (see FIG. 3), and by having an eccentric stub portion 56 formed in endwise extending relation at the enlarged end portion 54 for linking with the connecting arm 50 at an interposed ball bearing 58.

The eccentric stub portion 56 is further axially bored at 60, and this bore 60 extends sutficiently into the body of the enlarged end portion 54 so as to balance the operation of the drive shaft 32 and thereby provide an exceptionally smooth and serviceable actuating. mechanism for the cutter arm 26. The connecting arm 50 is preferably formed of a relatively lightweight metal and the cutter arm lateral stub portion 48 is also bored at 48' to reduce as much as possible the mass of the operating mechanism, and thereby further enhance the smooth operating characteristics provided.

The foregoing arrangement of the connecting arm 50 for actuating the pivoting motion of the cutter arm 26 from rotation of the drive shaft 32 is controlled at suitable switch means, such as is indicated in FIG. 2 at 62, for an electric motor 64 (see FIG. 1) supported rearwardly within the housing 10 on an additional bracket member 66 and connected by suitable drive belts at 68 to a pulley member carried on the drive shaft 32. The rearward disposition of the drive motor 64- within the housing 10 allows the use of a rearwardly disposed mounting bracket 72 by which the device may be supported at an adjusted disposition from either a horizontal or vertical supporting surface (not shown).

In operating the trimming apparatus of the present invention, the switch means 62 is simply thrown to connect the drive motor 64 to start cyclic pivoting operation of the. cutter arm 26, and ashoe S with an oversized piece of top lift material T attached at the end of the heel H thereof is then placed on the outer Work supporting face 18 of the cover plate 16 with the shank of the heel H bearing against the guide element 30, as indicated by dotted lines in FIG. 1. As the operation of cutter arm 26 begins to remove the excess top lift material T at the fixed blade 24, the shoe S is rotated, while maintaining the shank of the heel H bearing at the guide member 30, to trim the top lift material closely around the entire end of the heel H; it being noted in this connection that the closely spaced relation of the cutter arm pivot axis 28 allows the above described rotationv of the shoe as indicated by broken lines at S. It should be further noted that the previously described arrangement of the operating mechanism for the cutter arm 26 makes it possible to dispose all of the involved operating elements so that they are displaced substantially from: beneath. the fixed blade 24 to clear the interior of the housing thereat for allowing the small cut segments of the excess top lift material T being trimmed to fall readily within a suitable collection chute 74 without any tendency to jam or clog the mechanism.

The present invention has been described in detail above for purposes of illustration only and is not intended to be limited by this description or otherwise except as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In apparatus for trimming heel top lifts and the like comprising a work supporting plate with an opening formed therein; and a bracket member at one side of said plate supporting a fixed blade flush with the other side of said plate, and carrying a cutter arm pivoted thereon for cutting action with said fixed blade, and journaling a drive shaft for said cutter arm: the improvement which comprises a diametrically enlarged, symmetrical, end portion on said drive shaft beyond the journal support therefor in said bracket member, an eccentric stub portion extending endwise from said enlarged end portion, and a connecting arm extending between said eccentric stub portion and said cutter arm for. pivoting the latter from rotation of said drive shaft, said eccentric stub portion being axially bored and the bore thus formed extending suificiently into said enlarged end portion to balance the operation of said drive shaft, said connecting arm being formed of a relatively 2. The structure defined in claim 1 and further characterized in that said bracket member additionally car ries a guard and gauge element disposed in shrouding relation with respect to said cutter arm at said fixed blade, said guard and gauge element comprising a moderately flexible strip member located at its ends with an arcuate disposition in angled slots formed in said bracket member for locating said strip member in spaced relation above said fixed blade and in spanning relation adjacent the end of said cutter arm at said fixed blade.

3. In apparatus for trimming heel top lifts and the like comprising a housing having top and opposite sides, a cover plate attached at the front of said housing and formed with a substantially central opening, a bracket member mounted within said housing and extending adjacent said cover plate opening, a fixed blade carried on said bracket member flush with the outer face of said cover plate, a cutter arm pivoted on said bracket member for cutting action with said fixed blade, and a drive shaft for said cutter arm journaled on said bracket member: the improvement which comprises a diametrically enlarged, symmetrical, end portion on said drive shaft beyond the journal support therefor in said bracket member, an eccentric stub portion extending endwise from said enlarged end portion, and a connecting arm extending between said eccentric stub portion and said cutter arm for pivoting the latter from rotation of said drive shaft, said eccentric stub portion being axially bored and the bore thus formed extending suificiently into said enlarged end portion to balance the operation of said drive shaft, said cutter arm being pivoted intermediate the length thereof on said bracket member about an axis spaced relatively close to said fixed blade and located substantially flush with the outer face of said cover plate, one end of said cutter arm extending for said cutting action with said fixed blade, and the other end of said cutter arm extending oppositely beneath said cover plate for pivoting motion within said housing and for linking with said connecting arm thereat, whereby the actuating linkage of said cutter arm is substantially displaced from said fixed blade and the interior of said housing is thereby substantially cleared adjacent said fixed blade for allowing cut material to fall readily away therefrom, said cutter arm being additionally formed intermediate the length thereof for boring to provide an extended bearing at said pivot axis and having said other end thereof formed with a lateral stub portion on Which one end of said connecting arm is fitted with an interposed bearing sleeve, and said connecting arm being formed of a relatively lightweight metal and having the end thereof that is remote from said cutter arm fitted on said eccentric stub portion of said drive shaft with an interposed ball bearing.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,799,030 Savior July 16, 1957 

